It’s a common notion that vacations are much-needed stress busters for employees who will return to work refreshed and with higher enthusiasm levels.
But somehow the reverse happens. The majority of Gen Y workers find it tough to get back to their work routine after they come back from a break. The reason: Most of them are bombarded with work after a holiday.
In fact the heavy post-holiday workload is leading many professionals to plan their work before they leave for vacation in a way that minimises subsequent stress. Others keep their excuses ready in advance.
Anantha Shankar, a systems engineer with a prominent IT company, says, “Whenever I come back from a break, I’m flooded with work. Sometimes when I have an enormous backlog and things look like they are getting out of control, I give an excuse to my manager, saying that I’m unwell. Then I use that time to complete all my tasks and get back into the groove at work.”
A lot depends on the person who takes charge of your work during your absence, believes Sasha Mathew, marketing head with an MNC, who says, “Today, the nature of the work culture demands that you have to be on the ball all the time. I’ve just come back from a holiday in Singapore and even when I was not at work, I used to keep myself updated on whatever was happening. The major cause of concern in the corporate world in India is that nobody takes ownership of someone else’s work, even when they are handling it.”
HR managers see things from a different perspective. Rahul K., an assistant HR executive with Jindal Group notes, “We do expect our key employees to be hands-on with their work all the time, and that’s where their sense of responsibility comes into play. Work is an important part of life for employees and those who want to relax during their vacation, should remember that without work, there is no vacation!”